Years after hanging up his racquet, Andy Murray still has his interest locked in tennis, looking out for all the latest talents that emerge every year in the sport. And in the first week of the 2026 Australian Open, where the world is ready to see the campaign’s first Grand Slam winners, American rising star Learner Tien has caught his attention.

The 20-year-old has already advanced into the third round of the Australian Open following a hard-fought four-set battle against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Shevchenko, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, 6-0. However, the British tennis legend noticed that the coverage around Tien wasn’t enough. So, he sent a text message to TNT Sports’ lead presenter, Laura Robson.

“He [Learner Tien] has got some big fans because I have a text from Andy Murray who was watching and mentioned that we weren’t speaking enough about Learner Tien,” she admitted, as reported by Express.

2025 was a great season for Learner Tien. No wonder Andy Murray closely watched the American talent.

Last year, he defeated Belgium’s 20-year-old Alexander Blockx, 4-3(4), 4-2, 4-1. This win avenged him from 2024’s defeat against Brazil’s Joao Fonsesca, 2-4, 4-3(8), 4-0, 4-2.

Then he confirmed his emotions about the season.

“I’m super happy. I was able to check a lot of boxes that I wanted to this year. I had a pretty long list of goals I wanted to hit, and I was able to get most of them. I’m really happy.”

He got what he wanted, including massive prize money of $502,250. And in 2026, he has already made himself very clear with his performances.

At the Brisbane International, he won the round of 32 match over Camilo Ugo Carabelli 7-6(4), 6-3, but fell to Alex Michelsen in the round of 16, 4-6, 2-6. Then the American entered the Australian Open and fought hard against fellow American Marcos Giron, winning 7-6(2), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2.

Now, with such performances, he has surely attracted the eyes of legends like Murray. And the Brit isn’t the first one to acknowledge Tien’s talent.

Just like Andy Murray, Andre Agassi was taken aback by the American prodigy

While Andy Murray wants more camera and commentary to be focused on Learner Tien, American legend Andre Agassi once shared his candid perspective on the rising star.

After watching Tien’s deep runs in Beijing and Shanghai last autumn, the eight-time Grand Slam champion offered his thoughts.

“He has learned the game phenomenally well. He is incredibly gifted, not just with his game, but with his mind. He has to overcome certain physical limitations versus other guys, as far as size and strength (goes), but he’s still so young.”

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The American legend couldn’t stop the admiration he had for Tien as he continued, “When I really look at him from a tennis player execution standpoint, he’s one of the few guys I say to myself, (I don’t know) how would I help him get better — he does everything.”

At the China Open, Tien didn’t just have a normal run, but a generational one.

He started the tournament with early-round wins over Francisco Cerundolo and Flavio Cobolli, but then the big names showed up. His victory over Lorenzo Musetti and former world no. 1 Daniil Medvedev stunned the tennis world. In the final, he showed up against Jannik Sinner but suffered a straight-set defeat against the Italian. However, following the match, Sinner appreciated how far the American talent has come.

“I’d like to start with Learner and your whole team. I know you have a great team behind you. You’ve shown throughout the whole season what a talent you are. Keep going. You’re playing incredible tennis. I wish you all the best for the rest of the season and obviously for your whole career… hopefully we can share more moments like this in the future,” the Italian remarked.

Coming back to the recent Australian Open, the stage is set for Tien to face Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the third round. And only time will tell what fate has in store for the American prodigy.